Sleep Characteristics in Children and Adolescents with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure - Project Summary/Abstract
Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) can lead to a wide range of physical, behavioral, and cognitive impairments
referred to as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). The estimated prevalence of FASD is 2-5% of children
in the United States, making PAE one of the leading preventable causes of neurodevelopmental disorders.
Despite the known damaging effects of PAE, 10% of women in the United States report consuming alcohol
during pregnancy; thus, PAE is a major public health concern. Additionally, caregivers of children with PAE
often report their child has sleep problems; yet, relatively little is known of sleep quality in this population,
whether alterations in circadian rhythmicity contribute to sleep problems, and how sleep quality changes as
individuals with PAE enter adolescence. We recently found that children with FASD display greater night-to-
night variability in sleep duration, and this night-to-night variability is more pronounced in older children.
Further, we found that PAE disturbs expression levels of core clock genes that may be associated with altered
sleep cycles and behavioral problems observed in children with PAE. Thus, PAE may greatly impact an
individual’s circadian rhythmicity, which plays a role in an individual’s physiological, health, and behavioral
functioning. Yet, no studies to date have examined circadian rhythmicity in this population and its relationship
to sleep quality and behavior. This study will explore whether altered circadian rhythmicity is a biological
mechanism that explains sleep disturbances in children and adolescents with PAE. Additionally, limited studies
have explored age-related differences in sleep in individuals with FASD. Particularly, there is a dearth in
research investigating whether sleep disturbances persist into adolescence, a critical developmental period
marked by important psychophysiological changes in sleep behavior and architecture. This proposal will also
examine sleep quality and circadian rhythmicity during adolescence. Moreover, we will investigate whether
these behaviors affect cognitive and behavioral functioning in adolescents with PAE, as we have seen that
sleep quality mediates aspects of neurobehavioral functioning in children with PAE, including cognitive,
emotional, and behavioral functioning. If sleep problems contribute to difficulties in domains outside of sleep,
interventions that target sleep could also improve cognitive and emotional functioning as well. Elucidation of
the mechanisms by which PAE alters sleep and understanding how sleep and circadian rhythmicity change
across development in individuals with PAE will allow us to develop effective interventions to improve quality of
life of individuals with FASD.
